Aurelio's Reopens Dining Room: 'It's All About Survival'

JOLIET, IL — At a time when many Joliet-area restaurants and bars are not following Gov. J.B. Pritzker's rules outlawing indoor dining amid the coronavirus pandemic, Aurelio's Pizza has announced it is joining that group.

If Aurelio's kept obeying Pritzker, Joliet's long-time pizzeria at 3101 West Jefferson St. would be an empty building by this time next year, the restaurant management predicted.

Aurelio's Pizza recently announced that its dine-in restaurant is now open as of Dec. 2. Aurelio's has also brought back its buffet for lunch visitors during the work week, Monday through Friday.

"There have been zero documented Covid cases linked to Aurelio's of Joliet," the restaurant management announced on Facebook. "We will continue to follow CDC safety guidelines to continue to ensure the safety of our patrons and staff."

Health officials say the coronavirus is airborne, and tiny droplets containing the virus can linger indoors for hours as aerosols, making indoor dining especially risky since diners have to remove their masks to eat and drink.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dining indoors at bars and restaurants is closely linked to the spread of the virus in many communities. A study published in September found that adults who tested positive for the virus were approximately twice as likely to have reported dining at a restaurant than those with negative test results.

According to Aurelio's, the West Jefferson Street restaurant has been shut down three separate times in 2020 by the governor's coronavirus directives prohibiting indoor dining.

"At this point, however, it's all about survival," Aurelio's announced. "If we do not open our dine-in, we will not see the end of 2021."

On the Aurelio's Joliet Facebook page, a reader named Christine commented, "but aren't they discouraging indoor dining as a whole? It surprises me."

The staff at Aurelio's responded to her reply by stating, "The state of Illinois is yes. But our financial situation has become untenable. With most of the restaurants in the area staying open, we were losing business at an epic rate to the restaurants who never closed."

For more information, visit the Aurelio's Pizza Joliet website here.